Wednesday, 2 March 2011

1st winter male Coues' Arctic Redpoll - Not so typical

This post will deal with one of the Coues' Arctic Redpolls at Rainton Meadows DWT that isn't so typical in terms of identification. This bird has been aged as presumably a 1st winter and sexed as a male bird. It is definitely a male bird as females never show the pinkish flush to the breast. This post will deal with why this bird has been ID's, sexed, and ages as a 1st winter male Coues' Arctic Redpoll.

Note: Ground colour shows up well as being fairly buffy and this is typical of Coues' Arctic Redpoll. The bill also looks small and fairly pushed in, even at this angle! Fairly fat and bull necked appearance, another good feature that often points toward 1st winter Coues' Arctic Redpoll. Also note the pink flush, it isn't a redish or deep red colour. If any of your presumed Arctic Redpolls show this deep red flush forget it! Coues' Arctic Redpolls should only ever show a slight pinkish wash NEVER red.

Note again how the ground colour is a nice sandy buff colouration opposed to the cold grey tones of the Mealy to the right. Note also that this bird has a broad, nice white wing bar. Some light buffish tones can be seen on the wingbar but this isn't a problem in Arctic Redpolls. If you also take note of the bill on the Mealy and then look at the Arctic, the Arctic's bill is much more pushed in and generally appears smaller opposed the the larger bill of the Mealy.. It gives the Arctic a 'flew into a wall' bill appearance.

Note the extent of the rump, the rump is white and the mantle braces extend right up onto the back. The rump is not as an extensive white as some Arctic's but its nothing like the Mealy Redpolls hanging around. Although the rump is fairly extent it isn't ideal, some black streaking above the rump enters onto the rump but fades out to nothing leaving an area of pure white rump. Note the pinkish wash to the base of the rump, again this is pinkish rather than red. This isn't a problem with 1st winter Coues' as they can show a pinkish base to the rump.

Although the breast looks red on the top bird this is due to lighting, the birds breast is actually a pinkish wash (see above images). What I added this image for is the undertail coverts, note there is only one think streak on the undertail coverts. Arctic Redpolls should only ever show one fine undertail covert streak OR no streaking at all. This undertail covert streaking on this bird is a' ok'! If any presumed Arctic as several streaks on the UTC's that are fairly thick and obvious forget it, it ain't an Arctic.

Thanks to Gazza for providing this additional information on the undertail covert streaking of Coues' Arctic Redpoll:
- Coues' Arctic Redpolls can show more than 1 UTC streak. Some birds (mainly 1st yr females) show 3 streaks, 1 on the longest UTC with a streak on either side of that.

Flank Streaking
This birds flank streaking is interesting, it only has two fairly large flank streaks otherwise clean white. This isn't such a bad feature as the two dark streaks are not smudged, also some Coues' Arctic Redpolls can show some flank streaking. The more typical birds should show nice faint very thin flank streaks, two of the birds present at Rainton Meadows show this feature but this bird is slightly different. But this birds flank streaking I believe isn't so important when all other features are taking into consideration:
- Buffish tones to the face with no real contrast from ear coverts
- Overall ground colour a nice buffy colour and bird appears pale
- White on rump present, even if a small band of white rump is present. White braces extend right up onto the back on this bird.
- Nice small pushed in bill shows well even at a distance.
- Undertail coverts show only one single dark streak that is quite compact and more like a pencil line rather than an arrowhead like marking(s) that would be expected on Mealy Redpoll.